I mean, I'm not much of an academic, but that attitude's actually been bugging me since before I knew what "relativist" meant. I used to chew out other people in my undergrad classes for pussing out on discussion by pulling the "whatever you believe is true for you" card. (I know... Jess getting pugnacious in class? Unheard-of.)

I don't even buy it. "I don't care if your opinions are informed"? Like hell they don't. Or, I should say, if they don't, I can't really credit their level of debate. This is fine for giving everyone nice sweet hippie vibes, but if you're actually interested in engaging with others' opinions, you should care whether they accord with reality.

And yes, I believe in reality, in a pragmatist sort of way.

Two of my favorite one-sentence rants, especially back in undergrad when I was more volatile, are "words mean things" and "some things are true." Tough concepts for some people. Relativism, shmelativism... I just don't like the implication that you can't discuss anything because the world is so radically subjective that any disagreement is fundamentally judgmental.

Reinscribed in the context of Matt's blog entry, the following sentence, "And I think as much of yours, informed or otherwise, as you do of mine." sounds like a call to reciprocity. It could be read as a call for the reader to entertain the writer's position. Take my opinion and reason with me. Of course, depending upon context, such a reading of a concessive tone or admission of a wish for understanding (or at a minimum of being humoured) may be a mere interpretative projection of the desiderata of lively, concerned and connected intercourse in that most glorious 18th century understanding of the word. And yes such a response is a humanist respose, postmodern or otherwise.

It's a bit embarassing that it didn't even occur to me that "I think as much of yours as you do of mine" could mean something besides "I don't think much of your opinions."

Then again, there's a sneaky sort of contingency to it: I respect your opinion to the same degree that you respect mine? In other words, if I don't get props I don't give them?

I suppose I'm just suspicious... but all in all, I'll take my "I respect your opinion if you earn that respect by having your opinions be informed and well-thought-out" over either "I respect your opinion because it's your opinion" or "I respect your opinion if and only if you respect mine first."

I think it just means: "I'm entitled to my opinion because I'm entitled to my opinion; please don't bother me with knowledge, education, or fact."

True the meaning may be a brush off. Also true that one rhetorical move in response to the closing down of dialogue is to "go meta" to borrow the expression of Jerome Bruner and bring the implicit out into the open and observe what happens. Somtimes a do-you-really-mean-that question can serve to clearly identify who is and who is not willing to labour towards an entente. It is only fair to compute with a yes/no just how to clearly mete out responsibility. No?